This Vegan Red Pepper Pesto is: oil-free, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and budget friendly. Ready in just 5 minutes, and your food processor (or blender) does all the work! WFPB recipe.
In a food processor (or blender on low speed), add the red peppers, basil leaves, tomato, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and crushed red pepper flakes. Process until just blended and reduced in volume.
Add the pepitas and and process until blended but still chunky, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. If it's not as thick as you'd like, add in a little more pepitas. (See notes.)
Season with sea salt freshly ground black pepper to taste.
To Make Pesto Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to boiling on high heat. Add about 12 ounces of pasta and cook according to directions. Before draining, reserve a cup of the pasta water. Toss the hot, drained pasta and pesto together in the pot over low heat until the pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Add reserved water a little at a time if needed to thin out the sauce and help coat the pasta.
Notes
Nutritional information shown above for sauce only.
Pepitas don't have shells and are only found in certain types of pumpkins. Don't substitute pumpkins seeds in their shells for this recipe! Raw seeds work well here, but I've also used tamari roasted seeds, which are delicious!
Food processor or blender. I've made this recipe in both the food processor and the blender. I like this sauce chunky, and the food processor is a better option for that. It takes a little longer, up to a minute or so. If you use the blender, process on low to keep the sauce chunky, if desired.
How to store. You can store this pesto in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Substitutions & Variations. Please see the article above.